The paradigms for the management of resources are worn down and talent and capital are no longer enough to ensure a competitive advantage. Only the businesses and countries that get to build resilient systems and business models will be successful in the near future.
An example of this is Latin America, where the abundance of natural resources does not guarantee an efficient management of the systems. A third of the planet’s fresh water is concentrated in the region. However, 33 million people do not have access to safe water. We are among the biggest food producers and exporters, but we are also home to 42.5 million people without food security and another 22 million that lack access to modern energy sources. To structure solutions to these and other challenges that are sustainable and create true impact, we must understand that water, energy and food are interdependent resources.
On February 13th, we got together with experts in natural resources management and sustainable development in an open forum that gathered more than 200 participants of the private sector and academia, where we explored the Latin American context and the interrelation among the resources. Also, in a series of working sessions we began to develop the strategy to face the challenges that the 21st century presents us with in these sectors.
Over ten years after its launch, we started an evolution process of the Water Center to explore the nexus water-energy-food nexus as a way of building new management models. This will require us to identify opportunity costs, foster synergy and optimize processes, and it will be key to accomplish the economic, social and environmental resilience of Latin America.
We start on a journey that is still relatively unexplored, but we are sure that the experience of the Center will be of great value to understand and navigate the interrelations of the nexus, to build a shared vision and to promote the development of our countries.
Please find the presentations of the specialists that accompanied us by clicking here.
